The Blouberg (formerly "Blaauwberg"), meaning "Blue Mountain" in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, is a range of mountains in

Limpopo Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The capital and largest city in the province is Polokwane, while the provincial legislature is ...

Province, at the far north of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. It is located in

Blouberg Local Municipality Blouberg Local Municipality is a municipality in the Limpopo Province, northern South Africa, bordering Botswana. It takes its name from the Blouberg (literally meaning ''blue mountain''), a mountain range located to the west of the western end ...

, Capricorn District. The mountain is entrenched in the history of the local

Northern Sotho Northern Sotho, or as an endonym, is a Sotho-Tswana language spoken in the northeastern provinces of South Africa. It is sometimes referred to as or , its main dialect, through synecdoche. According to the South African National Census o ...

people, and they have different names for its various parts. The Blouberg forms part of the 'Vhembe Biosphere Reserve', named a

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

since 2009. This reserve also includes the neighboring Makgabeng Plateau, the

Soutpansberg The Soutpansberg, (formerly ''Zoutpansberg'') meaning "Salt Pan Mountain" in Afrikaans, is a range of mountains in far northern South Africa. It is located in Vhembe District, Limpopo. It is named for the salt pan ( ve, Thavha ya muno, or "plac ...

, the northern part of the Kruger National Park, the

Makuleke Wetlands The Makuleke Contractual Park or Pafuri Triangle constitutes the northernmost section of the Kruger National Park, South Africa, and comprises approximately 240 square kilometres of land. The "triangle" is a wedge of land created by the confluen ...

and the

Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape The Kingdom of Mapungubwe (or Maphungubgwe) (c. 1075–c. 1220) was a medieval state in South Africa located at the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers, south of Great Zimbabwe. The name is derived from either TjiKalanga and Tshivenda ...

. The eastern and part of the central Blouberg prominences are enclosed and protected by the

Blouberg Nature Reserve Blouberg Nature Reserve is a protected area situated close to Vivo, west of Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province, of South Africa. It covers an area of from the eastern portion of the Blouberg mountain range to the savanna near the Bra ...

. A 4x4 track traverses Rapanyan's Neck, the defile that separates these easterly subranges.

Setting

This rocky mountain range rises over a plateau averaging 900 m to the west of the western end of the Soutpansberg range. The Blouberg is topped by massive rocky outcrops resembling castles or fortifications with sheer walls. Its highest point reaches 2,040 m and is also the highest point of the entire Soutpansberg/Blouberg system. The

Brak River The Brak River ( af, Brakrivier) is a river located in northern Limpopo Province, South Africa. It is a tributary of the Polokwane River. Course The Brak River starts on the east of the Makgabeng Plateau and flows north-northeast until reaching ...

(also known as ''Hout River''), a tributary of the Sand River, flows diagonally along the southeastern edge of the Blouberg, separating it from the Soutpansberg further east. Although both ranges are clearly delimited from the geographical point of view,

geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other E ...

ly the Blouberg is homonymous with the Soutpansberg.

Human population

About 117 settlements in its foothills are home to some 161,000 inhabitants, belonging to the Bahananwa nation.

Senwabarwana Senwabarwana, also known as Bochum, is a town in the Blouberg Local Municipality of the Capricorn District Municipality in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The town is the seat of the Blouberg Local Municipality. It is located about 93&nb ...

, the economic centre of these villages, is visited by many to do their shopping. During the 19th century they were incorporated in the

South African Republic The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...

, and the

homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethn ...

system was introduced during the

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

era of the 20th century. Basic infrastructure and developmental needs were neglected, and in the 21st century it remains one of

's most underdeveloped regions. Many villages experience high unemployment, severe poverty or low levels of income despite the area's natural resources. Their isolation is mitigated by their sense of community and connectivity to each other.

Ecology

The vegetation of the Blouberg ranges from sub-tropical

veld Veld ( or ), also spelled veldt, is a type of wide open rural landscape in :Southern Africa. Particularly, it is a flat area covered in grass or low scrub, especially in the countries of South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Bot ...

or savanna at the base, to a type of Afro-montane vegetation related to the

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

Fynbos near the summits. The rocky cliffs are a haven for

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...

such as the

Cape vulture The Cape vulture (''Gyps coprotheres''), also known as Cape griffon and Kolbe's vulture, is an Old World vulture in the family '' Accipitridae''. It is endemic to southern Africa, and lives mainly in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, and in some p ...

s. The Blouberg, like its larger neighbor further east, the Soutpansberg, is known for a high level of

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

of its

invertebrate Invertebrates are a paraphyletic group of animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''backbone'' or ''spine''), derived from the notochord. This is a grouping including all animals apart from the chordate ...

fauna, such as the Swanepoel's widow butterfly that is found on the southern slopes of the range. The Waterberg flat lizard and a subspecies of the common flat lizard are found in this range.

Rock climbing

The Blouberg is one of the most spectacular rock climbing areas in South Africa. As a rock climbing destination it is famous for its sheer 350 m "Moonshadow" wall. Most of the climbing spots are on private land but climbers can make arrangements through the Alldays Mountain Club in nearby Alldays, Limpopo.New Blouberg RD by Hector Pringle
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References

{{reflist

External links

Major vegetation types of the Soutpansberg Conservancy and the Blouberg Nature Reserve, South Africa
* ttp://www.blouberg.gov.za Blouberg Municipality Websitebr>African Rock Adventure
Mountain ranges of Limpopo